Dr. William "Bill" Taylor

Aberdeen: The funeral service for Dr. William “Bill” Taylor, 83, of Aberdeen will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 26, 2010, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Aberdeen. Pastor Jeff Whillock will be officiating. Burial will be at Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery.

Schriver's Memorial Mortuary and Crematory, Aberdeen, is in charge of arrangements.

There will be a prayer service, 7 p.m. Sunday, April 25, 2010, at the mortuary. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Sunday at the mortuary and one hour prior to the service Monday at the church.

Friends may sign online guest book at schriversmemorial.com.

Bill passed away Thursday, April 22, 2010, at the Bethesda Home of Aberdeen.

William Romayne Taylor was born Dec. 13, 1926, to Phineas Romayne and Mildred Almyra (Jacobson) Taylor at Minot, N.D. He was raised in Kenmare, N.D., and graduated from Kenmare High School in 1944. He attended NDSC in Fargo, N.D., for one year and UND in Grand Forks, N.D., for three years, where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He attended the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in medicine in 1949. He then attended medical school at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest College in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he was a member of Phi Sigma Pi Fraternity.

His internship in internal medicine was at the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, La., where he was recognized as “Intern of the Year” in 1952. His residencies in internal medicine were at St. Luke's Hospital in Fargo, N.D., and Wood VA Center in Milwaukee, Wis. He received his medical licensure in 1958.

Bill and Loyola (Lola) M. Donely married on June 30, 1952, at New Orleans, La. He entered the U.S. Army in 1954, and served in the Korean War. He was a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at the time of his honorable discharge in 1962. Lola passed away in October 1974. Bill and Jeanne Grover married on June 13, 1975, in Aberdeen and she passed away in September 1995.

Following his active duty in the Army, Bill and Lola moved in 1958 to Aberdeen, where he started his medical career on the staff at St. Luke's Hospital and in private practice with Dr. Bernie King. He became very active in the medical field and in many community and civic organizations.

He was the founder and medical director of the renal dialysis unit at St. Luke's Hospital from 1975 to 1989 and also the medical director of the ICU. He started the Family Planning Clinic, now Physicians Plaza, in Aberdeen, and served as medical director from 1976 to 1989. He served the community in many capacities, including: the Board of Trustees of St. Luke's Hospital, President of the South Dakota State Medical Association, Vice President of the Board of Trustees of Presentation College, President of the Northern State College Foundation, Governor of the South Dakota Chapter of American College of Physicians, Board of Directors of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, President of both the South Dakota Society of Internal Medicine and South Dakota State Medical Association, Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Board of Directors of Lutheran Social Services.

He was an active member of the National and South Dakota Republican parties and after retiring from medical practice, was elected to the South Dakota State Senate, serving two terms. He was a member of the Sidney L. Smith post of the American Legion, and a founding member of the Sons of Norway Lodge 1-578. He was a life member of the American College of Physicians, recipient of the Sertoma Club's Service to Mankind Award and was recognized for holding his South Dakota Medical License for 50 years.

Bill is survived by two sons, William “Bill” R. (Roberta N.) Taylor, of Bethel, Conn., and Armour F. “Frank” (Susan K.) Grover, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; three daughters, Claire (Doug Sherman) Taylor-Sherman of St. Paul, Minn., Ann L. (Charles Rowe) Taylor, M.D., of Charleston, S.C., and Carolyn G. (Craig) Schaunaman, of Aberdeen, S.D.; one sister, Ann L. Konetzki, of Mesa, Ariz.; and seven grandchildren, George Donely “Jake” Sherman, William Taylor, Loyola Taylor, Justine Rowe, William Rowe, Emma Schaunaman and Samuel Schaunaman; and his dear friend, Jeanette Anderson.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; both wives; Jeanne's daughter, Sandi; and granddaughter, Jaclyn Taylor.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Bethlehem Lutheran Church or NSU Foundation, W.R. Taylor Scholarship Fund.

This obituary was originally published in the Aberdeen American News.